Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Government Assistance For Released Inmates

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Us Department Of Justice Grants

Government Insider Helped Prison Inmates Steal Covid-19 Jobless Benefits, Investigators Say

The US Department of Justice offers a number of grants. Most of these grants involve community safety initiatives, reducing recidivism rates, drug abuse prevention, helping felons reenter society and stopping violence. The DOJ offers educational materiel to help guide you through the application process.

Ease And Expedite Access To Snap Benefits

Though each state is different, individuals are often released from prison with no more than a small stipend or gate money , a bus or train ticket, a set of clothes, and the personal property with which they were admitted. And research shows that former prisoners are especially vulnerable immediately after release. A study in Washington State demonstrated that former prisoners experience elevated mortality rates in the first two weeks after release. Furthermore, the risk of recidivism is highest soon after release and diminishes over time. Therefore, prompt access to help meeting basic needs like adequate nutrition in addition to social services is critical.

Early access to fundamental supports, such as food, may mitigate the risk of rearrest or reincarceration. Federal SNAP rules require that states process applications within 30 days of an individual filing the request . For individuals with no means to meet their basic food needs, this can seem like a lifetime.

Meet With An Employment Specialist From Where You Are

ARIZONA@WORK provides no-cost reentry employment readiness services. You can access employment services at any ARIZON@WORK office, or from the comfort of wherever you are by phone or Google Meet appointment.

Please note that workforce specialists are NOT able to assist with unemployment-related questions. For questions about an unemployment claim, please call the Unemployment call center at 1 600-2722. Please do not schedule a virtual workforce appointment for unemployment assistance, as we will be unable to assist you.

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Establishing A Bank Account

Opening a bank account is one of the first steps to building a strong financial foundation for your future. With so many institutions, companies and individuals relying on digital banking, having a bank account and debit card is essential to modern living.

Most banks require the following things when opening a bank account:

  • Social Security Card
  • Drivers License or Government ID
  • Initial Deposit
  • Permanent Address

The first step is to locate the necessary documents like your Social Security card and government identification. Proof of address can also be a hurdle, as it may take time to find permanent housing. When you do, bring a piece of mail like a utility or phone bill with your name and address with you to the bank. This will serve as your proof of address.

Each bank offers different checking account options with different fees. It’s a good idea to talk to multiple banks to find the best option. Ask about account minimums, monthly or yearly fees, transaction fees and overdraft penalties.

In some cases, you may be turned down for a traditional checking account because of your past financial history. You can still get a checking account, but you’ll have to look for supportive lenders. Turn to credit unions, which tend to be more forgiving. There are also additional resources available for “second chance banking.”

What Makes A Successful Assistance Program

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Why Felon Assistance Programs? IF successful, assistance programs offer ex-convicts a chance to lead better lives after incarceration. Such programs aim to reduce the tendencies of such criminals to re-offend, thereby enhancing public safety. These are some of the government programs that help felons get jobs.

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Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration Grants

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers grants for most organizations that deal with drug and mental health issues. This can include ex-offender reentry, treatment and suicide prevention.

Please bookmark this page since it is updated regularly with grants for felons!

Reentry And Reintegration Program Resources

When you are first released, the best resource available to you will be a parole officer or social worker. Their experience is your best resource because they understand the challenges you face and know from previous inmates how to overcome them. Do not be afraid to ask for help.

Your county social services office is also a great place to turn. There are limited social programs available to help you get your feet on the ground, a safe place to stay, a job and a future plan.

About the Author

Danielle Kiser is a freelance writer and storyteller. She is passionate about informing and inspiring audiences to improve their lives and their communities. As a former TV news producer, she focuses on sharing relevant and factual stories that stimulate personal growth and knowledge. Danielle lives in Michigan with her husband as well as her sidekick, a greyhound named Oreo.

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Competing Demands For Social Compliance

Susan Battle, 40, has been in and out of jail several times and is now on an Intensive Supervision Program for theft. Under the direction of the Administrative Office of the Courts, ISP is an intermediate form of punishment, similar to probation but with significant supervision requirements designed to deter people from prison and assist with their rehabilitation. Homeless, Susan came to the shelter. She was referred to the county Board of Social Services for a referral because some shelters are not positioned to take unfunded clients in shelter stays. The local Boards of Social Services can pay a per diem for shelter care and case management services for homeless clients. However, to be eligible for this emergency assistance, you must be on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families if you have children, or General Assistance if you are single. To be eligible for TANF or GA, you cannot have any income. Susan had significant health issues and a lengthy substance abuse history. While in the shelter, she needed to have a biopsy for breast cancer. She was required by the Board of Social Services to seek substance abuse treatment.

Being homeless or unstably housed diminishes efforts to improve health outcomes, and strategies to promote accountable healthcare are increasingly including permanent supportive housing.

How Do Reentry Programs Guarantee Public Safety

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U.S Department of Justice says over 2.1 million are incarcerated in U.S jails and prisons at every point. Practically all these former offenders go back to their community after sentence completion or if found innocent.

An average of 10 million one-time convicted offenders returns to their homes both from federal and state prisons and county jails year-in-year-out.

In line with the goal of the US judicial system to increase public safety, it moves to ensure these convicts become relevant to themselves and the community.

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The Benefits Of Hiring Ex

Chapter 142 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code limits the liability of an employer who hires persons with past criminal convictions. Should you be interested in providing an opportunity and a second chance and are open to hiring an ex-offender, please contact the Reentry and Integration Division at or call toll free at 887-6151.

Helping Former Prisoners Find Housing

Learn how to find appropriate housing for newly released prisoners who lack shelter.

The moment ex-prisoners step off the bus in your community, a daunting challenge stares them smack in the facewhere to find a safe place to sleep that night.

Very few prisoners have a loving family waiting for them to come home. Instead, family members may have died, moved away, or made it clear the returning prisoner is not welcome. Sometimes there are legal reasons the ex-prisoner cannot go home.

As a result, many newly-released prisoners end up in homeless shelters. While these shelters are far better than sleeping outdoors, the beds are often available only at night. During the day, shelter residents are forced onto the streets carrying their few belongings with them. This time to roam is not good for former prisoners who are used to having every minute of their day structured.

A safe place to live is essential to a successful reentry. But most ex-prisoners have no money to pay rent and no household furnishings. Helping newly released men and women find affordable housing is a very important part of reentry ministry.

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What Is A Loan

A loan is money that you borrow and then repay under whatever conditions are in your contract. Loan terms can vary greatly so it is advised that you fully read the contract you are signing and/or have a trusted lawyer go over the contract with you. Certain types of loans will have more interest than others, the highest interest loans are short term or payday loans. Often times these types of loans have rates from 100% to 2,000%.

Services Available For People Newly Released From Prison

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As the State of California continues to respond to the COVID-19 emergency, the Board of State and Community Corrections has coordinated with 69 grantees that are implementing reentry services under the Adult Re-Entry Grant Program to outline services available to people newly release from state prisons.

The BSCC has surveyed the CBOs and created a dashboard to support easy reference and identification of critical resources immediately available to the reentry population. These resources are currently available and address urgent and primary need areas such as transportation from the facility and/or within the community after release, housing, food, clothing, hygiene, medical/mental health services and medication assisted treatment services.

Individuals eligible for services and resources under the provisions of the ARG are people who have been formerly sentenced to and released from state prison. This includes people leaving state prison that are on parole or those monitored by the probation departments of each county through Post-Release Community Supervision .

With the recent releases by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation due to COVID-19, CBOs that provide reentry services are eager to provide assistance. The link to the dashboard can be found here:

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Review Data Regarding The Formerly Incarcerated Population In Your State Or Area

Prisoner reentry is highly concentrated both among demographic groups and among geographic areas, as noted above. Understanding the size, composition, and distribution of the formerly incarcerated population in a given area can help state and county agencies make better policy and programmatic decisions. For example, a state or county interested in helping eligible formerly incarcerated persons apply for SNAP may decide to target outreach in areas with high rates of prisoner release. Or SNAP agencies may consider providing training perhaps in partnership with a local reentry agency to front-line SNAP workers who likely work with the formerly incarcerated population and their families.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics publishes annual data by state on prison admissions and releases. Some states track and publish more granular information about releases, disaggregated by county or sub-region and demographics. For example, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Prison Release Dashboard disaggregates releases by country, race, age, and sex. If this information is not readily accessible, state and county SNAP agencies can contact their state or local corrections departments to inquire about its availability.

Reentry And Integration Division

Director

Reentry Hotline Number 887-6151

For more information regarding TCOOMMI Medical/Mental Health Continuity of Care Services, Reentry Services or Resources, Identification Documents, or the Wrongfully Imprisoned Program contact us at:

Reentry and Integration Division 4616 W Howard Lane, Suite 200 Austin, TX 78728

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice Reentry and Integration Division’s actions are guided by legislative mandates, proven best practices and a set of core values designed to establish a comprehensive reentry and integration plan for Offenders involved in the adult criminal justice system.

In order to reduce recidivism, the Reentry and Integration Division provides a three-phased Reentry Program for releasing adult offenders in conjunction with the Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments , which coordinates the mental health and medical needs of both juvenile and adult offenders under supervision through established partnerships and targeted state resources.

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Housing For Formerly Incarcerated People

There are significant hurdles for those with criminal records to find housing, which is why most people on parole stay with friends and family. This arrangement can create challenges such as repairing wounded relationships and reentering unstable environments. The other option is federally assisted housing. The better option is dependent on the individual.

There are benefits to halfway or transitional houses. These can serve as more than housing with additional resources available. Onsite counselors, social workers or caseworkers can assist with reentry, and former inmates can find social support within the home.

To begin your housing search, work with social workers and staff within the prison system to understand your options. Once outside of the system, there are multiple support systems and resources to assist you.

Barriers To Prisoner Re

Federal government working to release hundreds of inmates

Each year approximately 700,000 individuals return home from state prisons in the United States and an additional 9 million are released from county jails. More than 10% of those coming in and out of prisons and jails are homeless in the months preceding and following their incarceration . Being homeless, unstably housed, or living in a high crime neighborhood all heighten an individuals risk of reoffending .

Among ex-offenders, those with mental illness have higher than average rates of homelessness and housing insecurity . Homelessness is not just a public safety issue but also a public health issue. New Jersey has successfully reduced its state prison population by nearly 37% since 1999, in large part by creating alternatives to incarceration and providing community-based reentry and treatment services . Despite having this infrastructure in place, the needs of homeless ex-offenders can confound both housing and reentry experts.

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Managing The Transition Home

Darryl Smith called state prison home for 30 years. Sentenced for murder as a young adult, Darryl has spent more than half of his life in prison. Like more than half of prisoners in New Jersey each year, Darryl served his maximum sentence and left prison without any post-release supervision.

He returned to a neighborhood he no longer recognized. During a snowstorm, Darryl wandered the city streets with his birth certificate and social security card. He was instructed by prison social workers to go to a shelter. Reluctant to go, he roamed the streets for eight days, sleeping in doorways and the bus station during a blizzard. During a Code Blue weather emergency, all unsheltered homeless must be taken into shelter. It was this outreach that prompted Darryls referral to the Board of Social Services and linkage to a reentry program to assist him.

Pell Grants For Education

Pell grants are a easy way to get free money from the federal government to go to college. How much money can you get?

Amounts can change yearly. The maximum Federal Pell Grant award is $6,095 for the 201819 award year and $6,195 for the 201920 award year .

Please check out our pages Pell Grants For Felons and Pell Grants For Inmates to learn more. You may also be interested in learning what the best college degrees for felons are before committing on going to college or choosing a major.

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What Benefits Do Released Prisoners Get

Government aid is available to qualifying individuals recently released from incarceration. According to the Social Security Administration SSA, some released inmates may qualify for disability, Supplemental Security Income SSI, and Social Security retirement benefits.

One requirement to qualify for SSI is the individual must be at least 65 years of age.

Us Small Business Administration

Screening Eligibility for Medicaid Assistance even while Behind Bars

For many small business owners, the SBA is the first place to look for available loans and grants. While the SBA does have a few grants, its primary business is providing access to loans.

The SBA doesnt prohibit loans for people with felony convictions. However, keep in mind that you will have to go through a background check with your local lender. Since most SBA lenders require in-person interviews as part of the loan process, youll have the opportunity to discuss your circumstances, which can help your chances.

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Promising Practices And Policy Implications

Concurrent with the 31% decline in chronic homelessness, the National Alliance to End Homelessness reports a 69% increase in permanent supportive housing for the homeless from 2007 to 2015. Successful housing strategies such as Rapid Rehousing, Housing First, and Permanent Supportive Housing are touted as contributing to effectively moving chronically homeless individuals and families into housing. A recent focus on effective models has drawn attention to the issue of frequent users of jails, emergency departments, and homeless shelters. An examination of these models and for whom they are successful is pertinent to the discussion of promising practices and policy implications.

The application of innovative strategies has had dramatic results on reducing the use of jail and emergency rooms for mentally ill ex-offenders. This is evidenced by the Corporation for Supportive Housing Frequent User System Engagement model. CSH reports that FUSE

helps communities to break the cycle of homelessness and crisis among super utilizers, individuals with complex behavioral health challenges who are the highest users of emergency rooms, jails, shelters, clinics, and other costly crisis service systems. The FUSE model was associated with lower psychiatric inpatient hospitalization days, fewer jail days, dramatic declines in shelter stays, and increased stability in housing .

Housing Resources & Support

  • Shelter Listings. Listed by state, this website links to available public shelters near you. The lists of shelters include homeless shelters, halfway housing, transitional housing and substance abuse treatment centers.
  • HelpForFelons.org While all federal housing assistance is connected to HUD, there is no universal site to search for local halfway houses. This website has pulled together multiple resources from every state to help you find housing resources near you.
  • Catholic Charities. This nonprofit organization is working to combat the increased demand for affordable housing by offering several housing assistance programs. They operate both homeless shelters and affordable permanent housing.
  • Private Searches. When searching for housing, avoid corporate apartments. Their rules and requirements leave little room for individual concessions. Instead, look to private landlords offering rental options on sites like Craigslist. When using a private landlord, be wary of scams. However, many individual landlords are willing to offer second chances.
  • National Housing Law Project. This organization focuses on your rights and how to follow the process to qualify for federal housing. If you are rejected for assisted housing or hit hurdles in the process, this site may help you understand legal options.

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